Fried Rice

This restaurant-style fried rice recipe is the absolute BEST. It’s quick and easy to make, customizable with any of your favorite mix-ins, and so irresistibly delicious. My kind of comfort food! (This post contains affiliate links.)

Hey guys! I’m digging back into the blog archives today to share one of my all-time favorite recipes with you again.

And I really do mean all-time.

Because fried rice and I go wayyyy back. 😍

Like specifically, back to my picky-eating days that lasted — oh — until college, when I was totally “that girl” who refused to even look at anything else on the menu at a Chinese restaurant besides fried rice and my trusty egg drop soup. Guys, I was crazy about my fried rice. And this was thanks in large part to our amazing little neighborhood Chinese restaurant that knew how to fry up a mean batch of rice, and set the bar highfor what I expected fried rice to be. I mean, back then, I just assumed that all fried rice was perfectly stir-fried and full of big flavors and irresistibly delicious! Little did I know about the painfully bland, boring, and tasteless stuff that I would encounter at too many other Chinese restaurants once I ventured out of the nest. Even today, I still can’t believe it when I stumble across a bad batch. Such a missed opportunity!

Anyway, I figured out pretty quickly once I left for college (in a small town with zero good fried rice) that this was a problem I was going to have to remedy in my own kitchen. So over many years and literally dozens of test batches, I finally landed on my favorite recipe back in 2014 that has been my go-to ever since. It’s surprisingly speedy to make, easy to customize with your favorite add-ins, and more flavorful and amazing than any take-out I’ve ever ordered. And it’s all thanks to a few simple tips that hundreds of readers have agreed totally work.

Let’s make some homemade fried rice! 💛

Fried Rice Recipe Video (1 Minute)

Ok, let’s get right to it. Here are the important things I have learned over the years about making excellent fried rice.

1) Use cold rice: You’ve gotta plan ahead and use thoroughly-chilled cooked rice. A fresh batch of warm (or even lukewarm) rice will not fry well when it hits the hot pan, and will result in soggy and sticky clumps — no good. So leftover refrigerated rice is ideal! Or, if you are in a hurry (or have an impulse craving for fried rice, which I completely understand 😉), just cook up a fresh batch of rice. Then spread it out on a baking sheet or another large flat pan, drape the rice with a layer of plastic wrap, then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes (or in the freezer for 10-15 minutes) until it is thoroughly chilled (not frozen).

2) Use butter: Yes, butter. I have made many a batch of fried rice using various oils, and I’m now convinced there’s a reason why Japanese steak houses use that big ol’ slab of butter when they’re making fried rice. It just tastes so much better, and also makes everything brown up perfectly. (Although don’t be scared — we only use 3 tablespoons for a very large batch of rice!)

3) Use veggies: This is one of my big pet peeves with lame take-out fried rice — not enough veggies! In addition to adding some nice spots of color, veggies go a long way in adding some flavor and freshness to fried rice. Our local Chinese restaurant always added both white and green onions, too, which I included in this recipe. But feel free to modernize this recipe with some other delicious stir-fried veggies as well!

4) Use toasted sesame oil and oyster sauce: If you do not eat seafood, you can leave out the oyster sauce and your fried rice will still be great. But this ingredient makes such a difference in good fried rice, and a little goes a long way. So even if you’re not into oysters, don’t be scared of oyster sauce! Toasted sesame oil, on the other hand, is 100% non-negotiable. It is my favorite smelling ingredient in my kitchen, and tastes wonderful in fried rice. (Also note that sesame oil is meant as a finishing oil, not a cooking oil, so remove the pan from the heat and then stir it in.)

5) Use high heat: This will help fry and brown the rice and veggies well, and will also help prevent the rice from steaming in the pan and sticking together too much.

6) Don’t be afraid to add in some extra soy sauce at the end: I know that everyone has different sensitivities to salt, and different brands of soy sauce also contain pretty dramatically different levels of sodium. So I went a little light on soy sauce in the recipe below. But please add more at the end if this tastes good to you. I almost always stir an extra drizzle into my portion and love it.

To make homemade fried rice, simply scramble some eggs in a large sauté pan. Transfer them to a separate plate, and set aside.

Then sauté some onions, carrots, peas and garlic until they are nice and soft and cooked through.

Then add in the rice, soy sauce, and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue sautéing the rice, stirring every 15-20 seconds or so for 3 minutes, or until you notice the rice and veggies starting to brown just a tiny bit.

Then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in your green onions, sesame oil, and scrambled eggs. Then give it a taste, and add any additional pepper and/or soy sauce if needed.

Of course, feel free to add in any cooked chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, or other proteins (and/or veggies) if you’d like. Nowadays, I like to add in leftover roasted vegetables to my rice. But this classic base recipe will always be a favorite.

Oh yeah, and did I mention it only takes 15 minutes to make? Take out, shmake out. 😉

Directions:

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.

Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil until combined.

803 comments on “Fried Rice”

Why is people still afraid of Butter!? Saturated Fat, unlike common believe, is NOT bad for you! Look at other Wildlife, right outside your window… If people should worry about Bad Fat, Vegetable Oil’s is there to kill you!!!

Oh and don’t ever put hot Food inside a Fridge or Freezer, unless it is the only thing IN the Frige or Freezer…

Love this recipe! It’s become a staple at our house.
I attend a ladies Bible study group of senior citizens. We have monthly brunches to celebrate birthdays, this is my go-to contribution. I add chicken to give it some added protein that they may be missing in their diet. It’s always a favorite. I make lots so they can take some home as well.
This month I’m printing the recipe for them to make at home.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
And my ladies thank you too!
Robin

Thanks for the recipe. Trying it this weekend and can’t wait to see how it tastes. :)

I do have one request, however. Please remove the video from the “Print” feature. It forces the recipe to bleed over onto the second page and splits it up awkwardly, which is quite annoying. And the video doesn’t help at all on the printout, so doesn’t have any use there.

Hello GSO!
First of all, I made your recipe and loved it! Thank you!! Second, I wanted to point your attention to something I’m sure was unintentional but something I thought you might like to know for future posts. In Japanese (and I assume in Chinese as well) culture, sticking chopsticks in a bowl of rice straight up or to the side like you have pictured here and in a few other photos/recipes I noticed, is considered extremely rude and cringe-worthy, as rice is a sacred food in Asian countries and the chopsticks represent incense, which symbolize death and mourning. Incense are used to honor the dead and are used on a near-daily basis. I am 100% sure you were trying to simply compose a beautiful photo, but I wanted you to be aware that it could potentially come off as culturally insensitive, which I’m sure is not your intent. I hope this didn’t come off as condescending Or angry, since it is truly coming from a place of awareness and understanding :) I love your posts and follow you here and on Instagram. Thanks so much for all you do! – Lisa

Thank you so much for this recipe. This was my first attempt at fried rice. I love your humor filled comments and suggestions which were very helpful and it turned out awesome!!! I doubled the eggs as I love eggs in my fried rice. I wish I had made a “double batch”…I was forced to share with my daughter so next time I will make more for sure!! Again thank you sooo much!!! Absolutely the best!! Sandie

I just made this meal for dinner and only a few bites in, I’m regretting that I didn’t make more! It has a wonderful creamy texture and no one flavor overwhelms any other. …My husband just came in the room to tell me dinner was delicious! Every time I’ve made fried rice in the past, it’s ended up dry and bland. I’m so glad I found this recipe!

I LOVE this dish! It totally scratches my Chinese-takeout itch! One question: have ou ever tried to make it with cauliflower rice? Trying to cut the carbs… Just curious! Thanks for all yhe delicious recipe! You have never steered me wrong!

Thank you, Chrissy, we’re so glad you enjoy it! We haven’t tried this with cauliflower rice, but we think that sounds yummy and that it’s definitely worth trying — if you give it a go, let us know how it turns out! :)

Hi Molly! It sounds like the rice might have overcooked a bit? Did you try fluffing it with a fork after it finished cooking? Doing that and letting it cool some if you can should help prevent it from clumping up like that. We hope this helps!

Loved this recipe! I left out the oyster sauce and added an extra clove of garlic. My family and I are taking on a new adventure called the Real Food Adventure. In short, we’re trying to eat real food! Your recipe fit the bill and went great with my chicken chips. I blogged about it and added your link to my post.

Hello I love this and will be making it for sure. Looks delish! I too prefer short grain rice but have not had good results with it :( hope you can offer some tips. I bought short grain sushi rice rinsed it till barely cloudy then soaked it for 30 minutes. In fridge overnight horrible gloppy. What can I do? What brand do you use and how do you prepare it? Any tips greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi Sarah! It sounds like sushi rice isn’t the best kind of rice to use for this (it’s soooo sticky and has a ton of starch). We like Bob’s Red Mill, and we just prepare it according to the package instructions. We hope this helps!

HI after incorrectly posting comment on the French onion soup recipe I am now posting on the right recipe ;) . I want to make this recipe with short grain rice. No luck with it. I wash till almost clear and soak 30 minutes and into fridge overnight. The rice I use is Sushi short grain organic. When out of fridge it is very gloppy and cannot be used for fried rice. I’ve tried a few times but no luck. I hope you can give tips and maybe a specific brand. Any help would be great. I so want to make this recipe. It looks delish! Thank you.

This recipe makes the best fried rice I’ve ever made at home! Thank you. I made a few little changes – my partner is deathly allergic to shellfish, so, being cautious, I used Hoisin sauce instead of the Oyster sauce, even though I’ve read that most Oyster sauce doesn’t contain shellfish. I also used frozen, shelled edamame instead of peas, and threw in a few pieces of broccoli and a splash of Sriracha. Yum!

I tried it but ommited the onions this is gonna be my choice for fried rice now.
My family enjoys it especially the kids who are very picky eatters so this is a +.Thanks for the recipe gimme some oven its greatly appreciated.

Have you ever made chicken lomein that taste like takeout. If so can I get the recipe. I hsve been trying for years to replicate it and I get close but no cigar. The chinesse sherry and vinegar but maybe the measurements are off. Not

How small should one cut up the carrots to cook in 5-10 min, I make this (I think it is your recipe) with quinoa instead of rice, and the carrots take forever. I do “dice” them up about the size of your fingernail…I usually end up covering it for a few min at the end of the cook time to help “steam” the carrots before adding quinoa/rice etc.

This recipe looks so appetizing and easy to make ! I will definitely try it. But where can i find TOASTED sesame oil ? I live in Bangkok, Thailand and I only have plain sesame oil. Will it be as good or not with plain sesame oil ?

Ali, I have been living in South East Asia (China, Japan and now Thailand) and Lisa is absolutely right about the position of the chopsticks; they should be placed on top of the bowl, closely together.

OMG!!!! This recipe is spot-on!!! I did add some chicken chunks that we had sautéed and added back in when we added the eggs and sesame oil.
We’ve tried and failed with a lot of fried rice recipes but this was awesome!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much. I too am a fried rice junkie. I have search high and low for a good recipe. Search is over. This it it! Although I didn’t have oyster sauce the sesame oil made it perfection. Thanks again!

Thanks so much for all the tips, my daughter and i read through all of them and it made such a difference! finally can make amazing fried rice at home and not worry about what is put in it! thanks for the great recipe, everyone loved it! i’m a decent cook, but never been able to replicate chinese take away. yay!!!

I made this, changed some thing to suit what I had on hand. I used sesame oil instead of butter. I did not add peas, or white onion. I added chopped green onions with the carrots, also chopped ham. I had no oyster sauce. I halved the recipe because I was using last nights pint of take out white rice.. I love it!

This was a great recipe for it’s information and the end product was loved by my family. The one problem I had was the lack of flavor since my family isn’t crazy for soy sauce I had to add about a tsp of salt. I also added some orange juice (going for an oriental flavor) while cooking the veggies when they started sticking to my pan.

Made this recipe very good, except for the fact that I can never get my rice to be fried, without being
slightly sticky. Followed receipt to a tee. Am I doing something wrong,should I do something different.
Any suggestions???

Hi Nicole! Fried rice tends to work best (and not be as sticky) if you use day-old cooked rice (or older). Freshly cooked rice has a lot of moisture in it. We hope this helps, and here are some other tips we found:

Hey, I’m Ali!

And I’m so happy you’re here!! So many of my favorite memories in life seem to take place around the table, especially when surrounded by people I love. And of course, all the better when nourished by some seriously delicious food. So I created this site to share my favorite recipes and stories with you, in hopes that they might inspire and help us all to spend more time around the table and savor the good stuff in life. Cheers, friends! more about me »